Windows 10: How to avoid incompatibilities when Upgrading to Windows 10

Hello!

There are many posts about people upgrading to Windows 10 and then having compatibility problems such as a black screen or no sound etc. I will try to describe how to make the upgrade to Windows 10 as problem-free as possible.

First rule for upgrading to a new operating system is to download all the drivers we will need beforehand. Worst case (except for BSOD) is that the network card no longer works, so you cannot download new drivers for everything else! So we visit the manufacturer's site and download all newest drivers. If there are not Windows 10 drivers, download latest Windows 8 or 7 drivers or at least Vista drivers for rather old devices. Make sure you download the correct version 32-bit or 64-bit, depending on your current system. For getting the newest drivers I recommend going directly to OEM's site (Intel, nVidia, AMD, Realtek and so on) because your computer manufacturer may have not made them available on their support site yet.

Just a warning here for nVidia cards: From Forceware 340.xx and later the CUDA component has changed so old applications cannot detect your card's CUDA capabilities and you won't have hardware acceleration in video editing and other applications. So anyone having a not-so-recent nVidia card, such as my GeForce 620, download an earlier Windows 8.1 version, I'm using 335.23, or you won't have CUDA support in applications! Yes, those versions work OK in Windows 10, I have this version installed now and I'm running Windows 10 Pro 64-bit. Latest driver has almost nothing to offer for our older GeForce cards anyway.

Now that we have downloaded all the drivers, we must do some more things before starting the upgrade. We have to disable or even uninstall the antivirus so it won't interfere. When I say disable, not for some minutes or until next restart! Disable it completely. Windows Setup will restart the computer several times before it is complete and surely you don't want the antivirus to block anything and cause issues!

Last step is to disable any service and application at startup that it not very important. We can re-enable them after the upgrade. So press Win+R to open a Run dialog and execute msconfig. Go to Services tab and click to hide all Microsoft services. Now uncheck any service that is not very important (practically almost everything that is not part of a device driver). Then click Apply. Now go to Startup tab and click Open task manager. Disable any non-important applications such as google update, Acrotray etc.

Start the upgrade process. Wait for the report. If you have to uninstall an incompatible application, do so and restart it. When at the first Window you should see two options with a checkbox. The first is to search for updates during setup. UNCHECK THE BOX NOW! If you read it carefully, you will see that it will try to replace your drivers with newer from Windows Update! This is what causes all compatibility issues! I would also disconnect from the internet during the upgrade to be on the safe side.

After successfully upgrading to Windows 10, create a restore point so you can return there if you need to. Click on the search icon and type Restore to find the link. Then install all new drivers you downloaded before and restart the computer as necessary. Since other drivers depend on it, start from the chipset driver and then graphics. After you have installed all drivers and you have no problems, create a restore point again. Now you can safely connect to the internet to activate Windows 10. Also run msconfig again and enable the services and applications you disabled before the upgrade. It is a good opportunity to look at them carefully and keep useless ones disabled so your computer has fewer delays during startup. Last step is to reinstall or enable your antivirus.

I hope this advices will help you upgrade to Windows 10 without any problems.

:)

 

HELP!! - Toshiba driver update for Toshiba Hotkey Driver - Error 0x800f0203

I'm now running Windows 10 upgraded from Windows 7 & I have the same continuous problem with the update

• Toshiba driver update for Toshiba Hotkey Driver - Error 0x800f0203

I tried your Method 1 to fix it which said changes have been made to my computer & to try & update again which failed.. again & the same message above came up again. My laptop is secure as I run Norton 360, so what should I do next to try & fix this problem?
My laptop is a Toshiba satellite L650.

Thank you

David

 

How can I avoid upgrading to Windows 10 on my phone?

Hi,
Dune_Finkleberry. I understand that you don't want your phone to be updated to Windows 10 automatically. Your phone will not automatically updated to Windows 10 unless you allow it. Once Windows 10 Mobile OS is available for your phone, avoid using Windows
Device recovery Tool because it will install the latest OS version available.

 

Very good and explains very well what to do
I myself had no trouble having already updated the drivers and restore points

 

You left out a very important step.

Do an image backup to an external drive before upgrading. Macrium Reflect Free is a good choice for this.
That way you can recover from any upgrade problems in 20 minutes or so.

 

So, what do you do after the fact? Meaning, what do I do after already installing Windows 10 without doing any of the steps you listed beforehand? I just followed the prompts given when Microsoft sent me a message saying my upgrade was available. I used to see a file named "Old Windows file," but I can no longer find it, and was considering uninstalling the upgrade.

 

Windows.old expires 30 days after the upgrade. The only way to go back now is to reinstall your previous OS.

If you had done as I suggest in post #3 then returning to your previous OS would be a breeze. Now your only recourse is to clean install your previous OS which means losing everything you currently have on your hard drives. If you decide to do this I would suggest doing a image backup to an external drive of your current Windows 10 so once you have your previous OS installed you can copy from the backup image any files or folders you want.

Once your previous OS is setup, make an image backup so you won't have to go through this again.

 

Oh, uhhh Wow! Okay, if I understand correctly in order for me to revert back to Windows 7 it will not just go back to where I was before the upgrade, but starting from a clean slate, so to speak. I then have to go through the external drive containing all of the files currently on my hard drive (Local Disc (C), HP Tools (E), for instance), and copy the desired files, including Programs, Downloads, etc. (from the User Files)? How do I know which files not to copy that changed with the upgrade (initially preinstalled with my Windows 7). I fear this is one of those decisions where ego, or self-confidence results in a point of no return and the only solution relies on a time machine, or Aladdin's lamp.

The glitches I encounter, now, have to do with "script errors" on Web pages having ads trying to upload simultaneously. This never occurred previously, never. I am hard-wired and accustomed to instant click responses, but after being online for a certain extent of time I encounter longer, and longer load times, sometimes closing the browser. More often, the pop-up box asking whether or not to continue running scripts responds to yes and no the same, and that is with another pop-up, and another, and another, and . . . with not a second in between. Other times my screen will turn black and moving my mouse will uncover very small sections of the page I was on, but those sections roll with my mouse only turning black again as I continue moving my mouse.

My quick reply is far from quick, and to spare you from any more of my tech ignorance, what is the alternative to reinstalling my previous OS to resolve these frustrating and aggravating issues? Sometimes, I cannot even close programs, or the sound goes out, grrr.

Thanks so much!

 

Well, you probably have malwares slowing down your internet connection and opening all these windows. Try finding and eliminating them with the free versions of Malwarebytes Antimalware and Spybot. Yes, sometimes in severe cases, one utility is not enough. It doesn't hurt using a second or even third in very severe cases. Delete any malware found, restart your computer and you should be better. After these press Win+R to open a Run dialog and execute msconfig. Go to the Services tab, check the box to hide all Microsoft services. Have a careful look in the remaining services and uncheck the box to disable any non-important and useless service. If it is unknown, no need to say it is suspicious and should be disabled. Then go to the Startup tab and click to open Task Manager. See the startup items and again uncheck the box to disable anything non-important (practically anything non-driver or antivirus related). Restart your computer and it should be much faster than it is now.

 

You should also use the most up-to-date software as much as possible. I've seen a number of times on this forum where people are confused because the software that they have been using since 1995 no longer works.

 

Yes, but if you have paid for some software forcing you to buy a new version or upgrade is not very convenient...

 

Depends on how old said software is. If its like 5 years old then its worth upgrading.

 

As long as it works in your current Windows version, you have no need to update it, unless you need some features available only in newer versions. If there is no way possible to make it work, then you'll have to update. But first I would try everything to make it work. In worst case I would use it in an earlier Windows version running in a virtual machine. Some software are too expensive to buy that I would rather pay for a Windows license for the virtual machine...